I just happened to be revisiting the Pilot Search project at the FamilySearch.org website and I noticed a new Illinois database listed within the databases for North America. It is called as the post title indicates Illinois, Deaths and Stillbirths, 1916-1947. It was marked with a “red” asterisk in the list of databases indicating it is “new” or has been recently “updated”.

I did some quick searching within the database for some of my own names and was discovering new information on those I searched. At this time, you will not be able to see any images of the actual records that you will find. You will only see text descriptions of the information as it applies to the individual that you may have found. This is still very helpful and will provide you with information you may not have known. I know we all want to look at original images. That feature should come at a later date. The un-imaged data is still very useful!!

I also was unable to find any information that indicated what percent of the database has been completed. It is unclear to me as to whether this is 100% completed or is still a work in progress.

The most important thing about this database is that it is a brand new Illinois database within the Pilot Index Project of files available from the LDS!!

Click on the “About This Collection” link within the database page for historical background on what the database record information means.

This is an “all-Illinois” database and is not just for Cook County, Illinois.

So if you any ancestral connection to any area of Illinois for the time period the database covers, then this is your database to search.

I am glad I just discovered this and can share this with my fellow researchers so you can jump into this data with both feet!

I have a Laura Elenora Wissen-Lytle who died ca 1916-18. Don’t know where or date. she was born in IN moved as a child to Decatur, IL, marr. Frank Lytle, divorced IL 1906, livingh Kansas City MO by 1910, said to have lived Indianapolis afterwards and poss. back to IL. I have been searching for her for over thirty years, any ideas?

I saw your comment describing all of the tidbits of information you have on Laura Eleanora Wissen-Lytle.

What exact piece are you seeking about Laura?

Where did you discover the pieces of information that you noted?

You might have to search for Laura under both her maiden name and her married name because maybe she reverted back to her maiden name after her divorce. You also might have to expect she may have gotten married again after her divorce and was know thereafter by the surname of her second husband if there was a second marriage for her.

Laura also did seem to move about quite a lot which does make your search more difficult in addition to the possible reversion back to her maiden name or even a 2nd marriage surname.

Did the information you have come from family histories or from any documents you discovered about Laura?

I am going to hold this on my desk and see if I can come up with any other suggestions for you.

I don’t know how to Blog and took off what I had added because it was all mixed up. Laura Elenora Wissen-Lytle left IL ca 1902, not sure, Laura E. Lytle was working as a secretary for The Athenaeum of Kansas City, MO.
Source: “Greenwood Collection lead was found at the Special Collections Librarian; Sara J. Nyman, Missouri Valley Room, Kansas City Public Library: Folder 2, Correspondence, 1902-1910 17 letters (Category: Correspondence 1880-1928) history/collections.cfm?collID=56 )
“A correspondence between Josephine Greenwood and Laura E. Lytle which was written in 1903 (Box 1, Folder 2).”
This is very confusing to me. Now I’m wondering if Laura actually was working as a secretary for The Athenaeum of Kansas City, MO. or these files were deposited there.

I’ll be 75 in April and it is a little late to teach an old dog new tricks. If you can’t figure out what these files are then I’ll need to figure out another way. I think the Athenaeum’s are depositories for all types of files but I’m not sure and feel I’m in uncharted waters. if you think of another area I can research for Laura Elenora Wissen-Lytle I would appreciate hearing about.
Thank you Tony